This invention relates broadly to the art of foul weather clothing, and more particularly to disposable ponchos.
As used herein, a poncho refers to a cloak resembling a blanket with an opening approximately in the middle for receiving a head. Because this invention relates to waterproof ponchos, worn chiefly as a raincoat or a windbreaker, the word poncho, as used herein, is synonomous with with a waterproof poncho.
Ponchos are used by military personnel, campers, and the like to protect them from wind and rain. Ponchos are particularly advantageous for travelers because, since they are flat, they can be folded into small packages and, therefore, easily stored. Campers particularly like ponchos because they can be strung between poles, or trees, to form shelters.
Inexpensive ponchos have been distributed at gatherings, such as sporting events, when inclimate weather has suddenly sprung up.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,518 to Leadford relates to a disposable rain poncho which may be easily folded into a small packet and carried in a pocket or purse at all times. In event of need, the packet is opened, the poncho used, and then simply discarded. A difficulty with such ponchos is that it is inconvenient to carry them around at all times until they are needed because they take up useful space in purses and pockets. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a disposable-poncho system which makes ponchos available to those in a crowd, but does not require each individual to carry a poncho in his respective purse, pocket, and the like.
It is an object of this invention to provide a disposable-poncho system which:
(1) is inexpensive to manufacture; PA1 (2) allows vendors at outdoor sporting events, and the like, to easily store ponchos until they are needed, and once they are needed, to readily dispense and sell individual ponchos to customers in a crowd; and PA1 (3) provides a disposable-poncho system which makes ponchos available inexpensively to large groups of people.